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Capturing Tibet: Colonialism and the Camera during the Mission to Lhasa

Thibetan Nuns

The exhibition is a joint collaboration between Tibet Museum, National Museums Liverpool and University of Manchester. The exhibition features 12-Panels (two albums) of unseen photographs captured during the Younghusband military expedition to Lhasa in 1904. The photographs were taken by two British officers; John Claude White and Gerald Irvine Davys, and sourced from the collections of National Museums Liverpool.

“Tibet is often an imagined place for the west. It is a place that is shrouded in spirituality and religiosity. Therefore, these photographs are significant because in addition to the beauty of the landscape and culture of the people, it also serves as a tool to present the colonial violence that took place and also challenge the prevailing mindset on Tibet,” she noted.

White also recorded the easiest way to enter buildings. At Nechung Monastery in Lhasa he photographed steps and staircases, doorways and even the guard dogs that could block the route

The British seized Chaksam Ferry and the boatmen as they marched to Lhasa. The British took many photographs. Without the ferry the Tsangpo formed a natural barrier that could not be crossed without building bridges.

White also recorded the easiest way to enter buildings. At Nechung Monastery in Lhasa he photographed steps and staircases, doorways and even the guard dogs that could block the route.